On Mar. 6, 2022, powerlifter Tamara Walcott set a new record in the Elephant Bar deadlift during the Rogue Record Breakers (RRB) strongman exhibition at the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival (ASF) in Columbus, Ohio.
Walcott, who in October of 2021 set the World Raw Powerlifting Federation (WRPF) deadlift world record with a 288.5-kilogram (636-pound) pull, bested both that lift and the previous Elephant Bar deadlift record of 621 pounds, which was held by Andrea Thompson.
You can check out Walcott’s extraordinarily-heavy deadlift below, courtesy of the Rogue Fitness Instagram account:
View this post on Instagram
[Related: The Heaviest Deadlifts of All Time]
Walcott attempted her monstrous pull while wearing a sturdy weightlifting belt, a pair of wrist wraps, shin protection, along with heaps of chalk. She also pulled with a mixed grip to improve her leverage. Walcott began her lift with a great deal of power and speed, but the plates didn’t leave the floor for several seconds, a classic feature of the Elephant Bar. She slowed down a bit as she came to a standing position, but locked the weight out with confidence.
Although male athletes have worked with Rogue’s exclusive 10-foot-long barbell at the ASF since 2016, women didn’t have access to the Elephant Bar until 2020. Rogue offers a prize of $5,000 or more for any athlete that can pull a new heaviest weight on the implement.
Tamara Walcott Records & Best Lifts
Walcott’s athletic background competing at the highest levels of powerlifting undoubtedly assisted her when she took to the stage in Columbus to pull the Elephant Bar. The 38-year-old has competed since 2018 in sanctioned events according to Open Powerlifting, and has achieved incredible heights in the sport after only a few short years.
At the 2021 WRPF Showdown in Kansas City, Missouri, Walcott hit her all-time best performance in the Raw division of the +198-pound weight class:
- Squat — 250 kilograms (551.1 pounds)
- Bench Press — 150 kilograms (330.7 pounds)
- Deadlift — 288.4 kilograms (636 pounds)
Despite working with a much larger barbell, Walcott was able to add a full five pounds to her record-breaking performance at the WRPF Showdown. Walcott is one of many athletes that will take their shot at breaking the various events during the RRB exhibition, with more records sure to be broken.
Featured Image: @roguefitness on Instagram
